New Horizons: Chapter Thirty-Two
By Annie
05-19-2002
Xander popped an eye open. The sounds surrounding him were distant but they were starting to grow clearer at the same rate as his eyesight.
Am I dead? he thought as he opened his other eye.
Then he felt the awfully uncomfortable position he was in, his hands were tied to something that felt a lot like wood behind his back; soon he concluded that it was a pole. He was tied to a POLE in some part of a hell dimension where his friends were sure to never find him, should they decide to come look for him.
Wonderful.
He blinked and looked around. Seemingly he was in a pretty lively place, a lot of demons. no, a LOT of demons. It seemed to be some kind of a market place.
Holy moly, he thought. I'm in one of those.
"You're AWAKE!" a loud voice said to his left and he whipped his head around to stare at the creature to which it belonged. "Perfect, now, just stand straight and you'll be outta here in no time."
It was one of the creepy ones that had captured him.
"Okay, sir," a growl was heard and someone grabbed a hard grip on Xander's jaw, making him open his mouth.
A wolf like demon took a step forward and stared down his throat, tapping with something against his teeth and grunting to himself. Xander felt his heart start to race.
Oh my God, I'm being sold as a frigging slave! he thought, panic starting to pump with the adrenaline in his blood. This cannot be happening!
"No can do," the wolf-demon said and shook his head. "He's too young and scrawny looking."
Xander gaped.
"Excuse me," he exclaimed. "I happen to work out MORE than often and if you didn't just check my TEETH I believe you would notice that."
He realized he was now pitching for him to actually be SOLD and he clenched his jaws tightly together as the wolf-demon turned his green eyes to him.
"I WAS talking about your TEETH, sapien," he growled at him, then turned and walked away.
Xander stared at the demon's back, relieved and still starting to get seriously scared. How the hell was he going to get out of this one?
Anya slowly made her way through the crowd.
Why couldn't she get her head straight for once? She was back in action again, she should be happy to be rid of that icky soul. She sighed as she picked up a tartum plum and stared at it without any interest.
She put it down, looked up and drew a sharp breath in surprise.
"Xander?" she asked, squinting to see across the market place.
***
Spike slowed down when he realized that he had been spotted.
"So much for a surprise attack," he growled to himself.
His eyes rested on the figure of the lord for a moment and then they moved to the cage, immediately recognizing Buffy he moved faster.
Buffy could hear the lord whisper something and she opened her mouth to scream a warning to Spike but it was too late and she watched in fascinated horror as he suddenly was lifted into the air and shot up to hang thirty feet above ground.
She stepped up and grabbed the bars, looking up at him. Spike stared at her, his game face retracting and then he looked down at the ground below, so far below.
"Ever tell you I'm not so fond of heights, pet?" he called down and she smiled a little, shaking her head.
He turned his eyes to the lord who now was moving to stand underneath him.
"What the hell happened to YOU?" he asked at the sight of the lord's distorted features.
The lord smiled a little, shrugging.
"Time, I suppose, stakes its claim when you're not immortal, if you'll pardon my choice of words."
Spike smiled mockingly.
"Have never bothered too much with taking to heart what people go on about, most of the time it's so bloody boring I wanna cut my ears off anyway," he answered and now the lord laughed.
"You're my kind of demon, Spike," he said and Buffy winced, how much did the lord KNOW?
Their names, what they were, where they were from.
"Hey, sleaze-ball," she said and the lord turned his head her way, looking at her with raised eyebrows and that infuriating smile on his lips.
"Yes?" he asked.
"What the hell is it that you want?" she asked, glancing up at Spike. "And could you just get it over with?"
The lord smiled wider at that.
"Well, my dear," he said, raising one hand above his head and as he brought it down Spike slowly descended as well. "Since you're asking me so humbly, I think I will have to agree."
He gave the helpers a sign and they all went up to a low table, one of them pulling back a piece of black cloth and revealing the urns. Then each of them grabbed one as the lord walked over there as well, carefully picking up the last. He turned to Buffy and Spike, the latter now standing still on the ground but fighting hard against whatever spell was binding him down and keeping him from moving.
The lord went over to the cage, stopping by the bars and then pointing his index finger at Buffy before signaling for her to come stand in front of him. She was moving before she knew what was happening and then her face was close to the lord's between two of the iron bars.
He licked his lips a little before whispering:
"What a pretty little bait you made, and what a beautiful leverage you are, my dear."
Her eyes widened a little in confusion and he smiled, reaching up a hand to touch her face gently.
"Don't you see? Remember when you sang that pretty song about wanting the fire back?" She stared at him, disbelieving the fact that he knew about that. "Well," the lord continued, "it's all so clear to me now: you got it back for a moment, didn't you?" He glanced over her shoulder towards Spike and she swallowed hard, her heart starting to beat harder in her chest. "And now," he whispered, "I'M going to take it away again. He was the one I wanted all along, you poor little misled child, not you. And now it's time to 'get this over with'," he said, removing his hand and taking a step back.
Buffy's eyes were filling with tears but she didn't feel them, her heart was ripping in her chest but she didn't notice, everything had come to some kind of a stop and she stared at the lord as he moved around the cage towards Spike. She turned her head and her body followed, not taking her eyes off him for a moment. Then her eyes locked on the hateful bars and she drew a deep breath.
Drawing back she braced herself and kicked her foot as hard as she possibly could against them. She lost her balance and fell down on the grass underneath her with a hard thud. Looking up she saw the bars still in their place and now she screamed with anger, getting up and grabbing them.
Spike stared at her, slightly confused. He felt like he was standing in a silent bubble, he couldn't hear or smell or even feel anything really. And then the hold on him was released and he slumped a little before looking up and meeting the eyes of the lord, now standing before him.
"Let her go," Spike grumbled and the lord smiled.
Spike tried to let his hand grab the man's throat, finish what he had only contemplated on the night that devil had touched his girl. But he couldn't budge and he realized his body, from his shoulders and down, was still frozen to the spot.
"Dammit," he growled and the lord nodded.
"Yes, you could say that. Now, Spike or William or whatever your name is, I need to make a deal with you."
Spike raised his eyebrows at him and the lord continued.
"If you choose not to participate in this ceremony," now Spike's eyes grew larger, " then I am afraid I will have to drench that little wench over there," the lord stated with a gesture towards Buffy.
Spike's eyes hardened at that and the lord reached up a hand and patted his cheek gingerly.
"Now, now, don't look so angry, I'm not even done yet," he said, removing his hand and taking a step back. "If you choose to participate then I can assure you that she will be set free."
"I don't bloody well trust you, and you're a God damn fool if you thought I would," Spike snarled and the lord grinned at that before Spike added: "Why are you using her anyway? Why not just force me to do whatever the hell it is you want and be done with it?"
The lord sighed, expression now slightly annoyed as he answered:
"It's the rules. I CAN'T force you, you have to make the choice. Unfortunate for me, but true none the less."
Spike huffed.
"I still don't trust you, and nothing is speaking for you letting her go," he stated and the lord smiled, nodding.
"Quite, quite, but you see, you have nothing to bargain with, so either you take a chance and hope it saves her life, or you watch her die, like last time."
The look in the vamp's eyes grew dim at the reminiscence of the jump she had had to take. If he had only. He suddenly looked determined, meeting the lord's gaze and then nodding.
"Fine," he said. "What will I have to do?"
The lord was still smiling.
"You will have to give up your love for her, to me," he said and Spike stared at him.
Buffy felt the tears keep running down her cheeks as she tried to hear what the lord was saying to Spike. She caught the last statement loud and clear and she choked on her sobs, shaking her head slowly and when she blinked the tears away she met Spike's eyes.
He looked at her, then he smiled a little and she felt her heart stop beating, her lips forming the word 'no' but her voice not able to travel up her throat.
Then she caught her breath and yelled:
"But he's not HUMAN!"
The lord turned to her, laughing.
"Little child, do you want me to explain this whole thing to you? Isn't it enough that it doesn't matter?"
Buffy stared at him, her eyes still watery with tears and she said:
"To ME it matters, I want answers!"
Spike looked at her, she looked so vulnerable, so exposed, so alone.
I'm so sorry, he thought. Maybe if I'd never loved you, this wouldn't have happened.
"Humor me," she now said and the lord raised his eyebrows.
"All right," he now said, turning to her. "The charmenian word for human is 'kora', but in earlier works, such as the prophecy of the Birth of Fire, it can also stand for 'body'. The love in this body is one of the strongest I've ever encountered," he now said with a smile. "You should have listened to your sister, vampire slayer, and seen the good in him before it was too late."
Buffy felt something on the verge of serious damage inside of her, something was about to tare and she knew she wouldn't be able to fix it if it did.
Buffy shifted her gaze to Spike, trying to see if he would be able to break out of the spell, his eyes told her that he couldn't. Her mind was on the brink of melt down and she knew she had to think of something, ANYTHING!
Then the lord turned from her and once more faced Spike.
He looked at Buffy one last time, the panic now rising in her eyes as he saw that she could see he had made his decision.
"I'll do it," he said, nodding slightly and feeling his body thaw out of the spell.
"Splendid," the lord said. "Come with me."
"Spike?" Buffy said as the lord started walking past the cage and towards the dock, the vamp following. "Spike," she said again as he refused to look at her. "Spike!" she yelled and stared after him. "Spike, don't do this, please!"
"I have to," he mumbled, then stopped and let the duster slide off his shoulders, landing on the ground.
She looked at it, shaking her head.
"Don't," she whispered, her tears slowly stopping to form in her eyes as she watched him walk with the lord onto the dock and then step into a low rowboat. "Oh, God, no."
"What's happening?!" Sarah's voice suddenly screamed from behind her and she twirled around as Sarah and Jacob came running across the lawn towards her.
"Sarah!" she cried. "You have to stop them! They're gonna KILL him!"
Sarah eyes grew wide as she reached the bars, Jacob not far behind.
"What?" she screamed. "Where?"
"Docks, over there, hurry!" Buffy yelled as Sarah got moving.
The mist was heavy on the lake now and it was hard to even SEE the wooden planks of the dock any more, Sarah disappeared into it for a few moments, then came out again, running back to the cage.
"They're gone," she gasped, breathing hard. "We need to get you out of there!" she added, starting to look for a door.
"There's no use, he put a spell on it. I've already tried to tip it, break it."
Sarah grabbed a hold of the bars.
"Incantenia nora uta!" she mumbled and the entire cage turned into wood.
She broke the two bars, that she was still gripping, right off and Buffy stared at her in surprise before she took a step forward and swiped with one arm at the now wooden bars, they crumbled as soon as she made contact and in a moment she was free.
"What can I say," Sarah said with a shrug at Buffy's questioning and appreciative look. "You don't study the books without learning a trick or two."
Her eyes widened as they suddenly locked on something going on behind Buffy's back and Buffy turned around towards the lake, staring at the sight of Spike slowly lifting until he hung in mid air, his eyes were closed and his body relaxed.
"What the.?" Buffy mumbled.
Spike opened his eyes and looked down on the five rowboats beneath him on the surface of the lake. The lord was in the one directly under him, his eight helpers in pairs had arranged their boats in a circle around his. They were bringing out their books again, he noticed.
He looked up and saw the raw stretch of daylight slowly approaching against the horizon.
He smiled a little to himself, remembering something he had heard a long time ago. He couldn't remember when, or where, or from whom, but somehow he thought he finally understood it.
"Everyday brings a new horizon," he mumbled to himself, "you just have to be sure to look for it."
Then the chanting began and he looked over the quilt of mist and his eyes locked on Buffy. He saw Sarah and Jacob as well. Then he gazed back at her. God, last night had been the best night of his entire existence, he wished he could have told her that.
"Oh, Fire, take this rose, to purify this ceremony, and come to us."
He drew a small breath as he looked back on the approaching sun.
"Oh, Fire, take this silk, to bring forth your life, and come to us."
The mist beneath him was swirling, slowly pulling away from the small circle of boats and gliding towards the edges of the lake.
"Oh, Fire, take this butterfly, to release the soul from its shackles, and come to us."
He felt a small tingle near his heart and swallowed. The thought of loosing his love for Buffy was. unbearable. She was such a part of him now.
"Oh, Fire, take this spider, to bind the soul to its body once more, and come to us."
He gazed at the slightly pinkish sky and smiled to himself.
Yes.
"Oh, Fire, take this snake, to bring death and prepare the Birth; and come to us."
He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, starting to prepare himself.
"Oh, Fire, take this water, to cleanse and bring forth the Birth; and come to us."
Buffy stared at the shape of him and suddenly felt a small tingle near her heart. She swallowed and drew a breath.
"Oh, Fire, take this wood, to once it's done bring healing, and come to us."
Something was happening to her, it was getting hard to breathe. She gasped and grabbed a hold of Sarah's arm, not hearing the worried questions her friends were asking.
"Oh, Fire, take this flower, to represent you, and come to us."
Oh, God, something was hurting her.
"Oh, Fire!" the lord yelled, standing up in the boat with his urn held above his head, looking up at Spike. "Take this body, to bring forth love, and come to me!"
Spike opened his eyes as the first rays of the sun graced the land before his eyes, stretching across the forest and caressing the mist before it hit his feet.
Then there was something else.
Buffy stared at him, the sunrise, it was shining on him and he was still there! She let go of Sarah's arm, taking a step forward. Suddenly a glow started around him. Her eyes grew wider as she fought to get air.
He's burning, she thought and then the glow switched into a numbing light.
"Oh, my God," Sarah breathed behind her.
Buffy took another step forward, staring at the incredible sight.
The lord's eyes not leaving the vampire, anticipating what was yet to come he smiled to himself. Soon he would have everything he had wanted, soon.
A ray of light shooting up into the sky broke his thoughts.
Now, wait a minute, that was supposed to go into me.his mind grumbled, confusion building.
He stared at Spike, at the ray shooting upwards, and then he slowly lowered the urn.
"WHAT the." he started, but then the ray changed course.
Buffy couldn't take her eyes from him, and then the ray hit her with full force. A scream escaped her as the light surrounded her and then she could feel his arms around her. She opened her eyes and looked into his.
They were in his bed; everything was white and bright and cut her eyes, everything but the blue in his. Then he bent down and kissed her and she put her arms around him, pulling him closer, feeling his naked body against her own.
Then they were dressed and fighting, violently, in the alley behind the Bronze, in the alley behind the police station, in the graveyard outside his crypt, inside his crypt, on his bed and then they were in each other's arms again, naked once more, their kissing passionate as they clung to each other.
Suddenly they were torn apart, the brightness all around them again, he was standing a few yards away from her and she felt a painful tugging beneath her skin. Then it felt like small nails ripped something away from inside of her and she screamed, almost falling down.
Spike stared at her and then a wave came crashing into him and he felt a tumbling riptide of emotions, seeing pictures of memories since she was little, then the killing of her first vampire, the confusion, the secrets, her father, Joyce, Dawn and a thousand other faces, the last one was his. It was a kaleidoscope of her life and he had to draw a breath to be able to take it, suddenly feeling the faint beating of his heart and hearing the blood start to rush through his veins.
Then the wave drew back, his pulse still thumping hard in his ears.
Buffy felt weak and scared and drained and like she couldn't think straight for the longest time, and then her head cleared and she was gasping for breath as the nails poked at her again, tears forming in her eyes.
She looked up, Spike was standing before her, the look of awe so evident on his face as he grabbed her hand and pulled it up to his chest. She felt his heartbeat, and her eyes grew as she looked up at him.
He felt his blood slowly stop flowing, and his heart slowly stop beating, and he shook his head a little before pulling her to him and kissing her again; her arms around his neck as she kissed him back, softly.
Then the brightness disappeared, they were out of each other's arms and the ray pulled back into him. Everything went quiet.
Sarah stared at the Slayer. Her eyes were still closed, she was standing in the same position as when the ray first hit her, but her lips were moving slowly to herself, tears were slowly slipping down her cheeks and she looked incredibly concentrated.
The sky had been covered with clouds as the spectacle took place and now, as Spike eased his eyes open, he stared in shock at the covered sun.
How could he still be there? He had watched the sunrise! More than that, he had felt it stroke his body.
The sense of Buffy was warm on his skin, the memories of her life still clear in his head and the way she had made his heart beat, REALLY beat, for just a minute was still a fresh feeling in his chest as he turned his head and looked at her.
Then there was a roar of fury from below as the lord stared up at the vampire.
"No!" he screamed. "You can't DO this to me!"
Spike looked down at him, feeling how he slowly started to glide downwards towards the water and realizing that whatever just happened hadn't been exactly what the lord had planned. He couldn't help but grin at how pissed the ass-hole looked.
"Guess again," he said as he landed standing on the bottom of the boat.
The lord glared at him before holding up the urn over his head again, then he threw it into the water and in a blink he was gone.
"What the bloody hell!" Spike exclaimed, looking around him, annoyed that he had missed the opportunity to beat the crap out of the bastard.
Sarah was still staring at Buffy who finally seemed to open her eyes. She swallowed carefully, frowning slightly and staring at the spot where Spike had been.
"He's gone," she mumbled and then she shifted her gaze to the now visible boats, the mist had lifted entirely. "Oh," she said slowly, seeing him standing in the boat. "There he is."
Sarah turned to her father, looking a little worried.
"Something's not right," she said and Buffy turned to her, her eyes hazy.
"What's not right?" she mumbled sleepily.
"This," the lord said as he appeared behind her, grabbing her from behind and lifting her up, fending off Sarah and Jacob with small flicks of one hand.
Buffy drew a breath in surprise, the numbness lifting from her head at his harsh touch and she kicked out her foot, hitting him hard in the stomach and making him drop her to the ground, him bending over with pain.
She was up faster than lightening, suddenly feeling incredibly aware of everything around her, all her senses on the edge.
"Wow," she said. "Whatever you did with that light mojo, it was a total re- booster."
Then she took a step forward and grabbed him by the neck, making him look at her.
"I wouldn't be one to promote violence," she said in a dangerous voice as she pulled him up to a straightened position. "But I think I'm actually gonna enjoy this."
By Annie
05-19-2002
Xander popped an eye open. The sounds surrounding him were distant but they were starting to grow clearer at the same rate as his eyesight.
Am I dead? he thought as he opened his other eye.
Then he felt the awfully uncomfortable position he was in, his hands were tied to something that felt a lot like wood behind his back; soon he concluded that it was a pole. He was tied to a POLE in some part of a hell dimension where his friends were sure to never find him, should they decide to come look for him.
Wonderful.
He blinked and looked around. Seemingly he was in a pretty lively place, a lot of demons. no, a LOT of demons. It seemed to be some kind of a market place.
Holy moly, he thought. I'm in one of those.
"You're AWAKE!" a loud voice said to his left and he whipped his head around to stare at the creature to which it belonged. "Perfect, now, just stand straight and you'll be outta here in no time."
It was one of the creepy ones that had captured him.
"Okay, sir," a growl was heard and someone grabbed a hard grip on Xander's jaw, making him open his mouth.
A wolf like demon took a step forward and stared down his throat, tapping with something against his teeth and grunting to himself. Xander felt his heart start to race.
Oh my God, I'm being sold as a frigging slave! he thought, panic starting to pump with the adrenaline in his blood. This cannot be happening!
"No can do," the wolf-demon said and shook his head. "He's too young and scrawny looking."
Xander gaped.
"Excuse me," he exclaimed. "I happen to work out MORE than often and if you didn't just check my TEETH I believe you would notice that."
He realized he was now pitching for him to actually be SOLD and he clenched his jaws tightly together as the wolf-demon turned his green eyes to him.
"I WAS talking about your TEETH, sapien," he growled at him, then turned and walked away.
Xander stared at the demon's back, relieved and still starting to get seriously scared. How the hell was he going to get out of this one?
Anya slowly made her way through the crowd.
Why couldn't she get her head straight for once? She was back in action again, she should be happy to be rid of that icky soul. She sighed as she picked up a tartum plum and stared at it without any interest.
She put it down, looked up and drew a sharp breath in surprise.
"Xander?" she asked, squinting to see across the market place.
***
Spike slowed down when he realized that he had been spotted.
"So much for a surprise attack," he growled to himself.
His eyes rested on the figure of the lord for a moment and then they moved to the cage, immediately recognizing Buffy he moved faster.
Buffy could hear the lord whisper something and she opened her mouth to scream a warning to Spike but it was too late and she watched in fascinated horror as he suddenly was lifted into the air and shot up to hang thirty feet above ground.
She stepped up and grabbed the bars, looking up at him. Spike stared at her, his game face retracting and then he looked down at the ground below, so far below.
"Ever tell you I'm not so fond of heights, pet?" he called down and she smiled a little, shaking her head.
He turned his eyes to the lord who now was moving to stand underneath him.
"What the hell happened to YOU?" he asked at the sight of the lord's distorted features.
The lord smiled a little, shrugging.
"Time, I suppose, stakes its claim when you're not immortal, if you'll pardon my choice of words."
Spike smiled mockingly.
"Have never bothered too much with taking to heart what people go on about, most of the time it's so bloody boring I wanna cut my ears off anyway," he answered and now the lord laughed.
"You're my kind of demon, Spike," he said and Buffy winced, how much did the lord KNOW?
Their names, what they were, where they were from.
"Hey, sleaze-ball," she said and the lord turned his head her way, looking at her with raised eyebrows and that infuriating smile on his lips.
"Yes?" he asked.
"What the hell is it that you want?" she asked, glancing up at Spike. "And could you just get it over with?"
The lord smiled wider at that.
"Well, my dear," he said, raising one hand above his head and as he brought it down Spike slowly descended as well. "Since you're asking me so humbly, I think I will have to agree."
He gave the helpers a sign and they all went up to a low table, one of them pulling back a piece of black cloth and revealing the urns. Then each of them grabbed one as the lord walked over there as well, carefully picking up the last. He turned to Buffy and Spike, the latter now standing still on the ground but fighting hard against whatever spell was binding him down and keeping him from moving.
The lord went over to the cage, stopping by the bars and then pointing his index finger at Buffy before signaling for her to come stand in front of him. She was moving before she knew what was happening and then her face was close to the lord's between two of the iron bars.
He licked his lips a little before whispering:
"What a pretty little bait you made, and what a beautiful leverage you are, my dear."
Her eyes widened a little in confusion and he smiled, reaching up a hand to touch her face gently.
"Don't you see? Remember when you sang that pretty song about wanting the fire back?" She stared at him, disbelieving the fact that he knew about that. "Well," the lord continued, "it's all so clear to me now: you got it back for a moment, didn't you?" He glanced over her shoulder towards Spike and she swallowed hard, her heart starting to beat harder in her chest. "And now," he whispered, "I'M going to take it away again. He was the one I wanted all along, you poor little misled child, not you. And now it's time to 'get this over with'," he said, removing his hand and taking a step back.
Buffy's eyes were filling with tears but she didn't feel them, her heart was ripping in her chest but she didn't notice, everything had come to some kind of a stop and she stared at the lord as he moved around the cage towards Spike. She turned her head and her body followed, not taking her eyes off him for a moment. Then her eyes locked on the hateful bars and she drew a deep breath.
Drawing back she braced herself and kicked her foot as hard as she possibly could against them. She lost her balance and fell down on the grass underneath her with a hard thud. Looking up she saw the bars still in their place and now she screamed with anger, getting up and grabbing them.
Spike stared at her, slightly confused. He felt like he was standing in a silent bubble, he couldn't hear or smell or even feel anything really. And then the hold on him was released and he slumped a little before looking up and meeting the eyes of the lord, now standing before him.
"Let her go," Spike grumbled and the lord smiled.
Spike tried to let his hand grab the man's throat, finish what he had only contemplated on the night that devil had touched his girl. But he couldn't budge and he realized his body, from his shoulders and down, was still frozen to the spot.
"Dammit," he growled and the lord nodded.
"Yes, you could say that. Now, Spike or William or whatever your name is, I need to make a deal with you."
Spike raised his eyebrows at him and the lord continued.
"If you choose not to participate in this ceremony," now Spike's eyes grew larger, " then I am afraid I will have to drench that little wench over there," the lord stated with a gesture towards Buffy.
Spike's eyes hardened at that and the lord reached up a hand and patted his cheek gingerly.
"Now, now, don't look so angry, I'm not even done yet," he said, removing his hand and taking a step back. "If you choose to participate then I can assure you that she will be set free."
"I don't bloody well trust you, and you're a God damn fool if you thought I would," Spike snarled and the lord grinned at that before Spike added: "Why are you using her anyway? Why not just force me to do whatever the hell it is you want and be done with it?"
The lord sighed, expression now slightly annoyed as he answered:
"It's the rules. I CAN'T force you, you have to make the choice. Unfortunate for me, but true none the less."
Spike huffed.
"I still don't trust you, and nothing is speaking for you letting her go," he stated and the lord smiled, nodding.
"Quite, quite, but you see, you have nothing to bargain with, so either you take a chance and hope it saves her life, or you watch her die, like last time."
The look in the vamp's eyes grew dim at the reminiscence of the jump she had had to take. If he had only. He suddenly looked determined, meeting the lord's gaze and then nodding.
"Fine," he said. "What will I have to do?"
The lord was still smiling.
"You will have to give up your love for her, to me," he said and Spike stared at him.
Buffy felt the tears keep running down her cheeks as she tried to hear what the lord was saying to Spike. She caught the last statement loud and clear and she choked on her sobs, shaking her head slowly and when she blinked the tears away she met Spike's eyes.
He looked at her, then he smiled a little and she felt her heart stop beating, her lips forming the word 'no' but her voice not able to travel up her throat.
Then she caught her breath and yelled:
"But he's not HUMAN!"
The lord turned to her, laughing.
"Little child, do you want me to explain this whole thing to you? Isn't it enough that it doesn't matter?"
Buffy stared at him, her eyes still watery with tears and she said:
"To ME it matters, I want answers!"
Spike looked at her, she looked so vulnerable, so exposed, so alone.
I'm so sorry, he thought. Maybe if I'd never loved you, this wouldn't have happened.
"Humor me," she now said and the lord raised his eyebrows.
"All right," he now said, turning to her. "The charmenian word for human is 'kora', but in earlier works, such as the prophecy of the Birth of Fire, it can also stand for 'body'. The love in this body is one of the strongest I've ever encountered," he now said with a smile. "You should have listened to your sister, vampire slayer, and seen the good in him before it was too late."
Buffy felt something on the verge of serious damage inside of her, something was about to tare and she knew she wouldn't be able to fix it if it did.
Buffy shifted her gaze to Spike, trying to see if he would be able to break out of the spell, his eyes told her that he couldn't. Her mind was on the brink of melt down and she knew she had to think of something, ANYTHING!
Then the lord turned from her and once more faced Spike.
He looked at Buffy one last time, the panic now rising in her eyes as he saw that she could see he had made his decision.
"I'll do it," he said, nodding slightly and feeling his body thaw out of the spell.
"Splendid," the lord said. "Come with me."
"Spike?" Buffy said as the lord started walking past the cage and towards the dock, the vamp following. "Spike," she said again as he refused to look at her. "Spike!" she yelled and stared after him. "Spike, don't do this, please!"
"I have to," he mumbled, then stopped and let the duster slide off his shoulders, landing on the ground.
She looked at it, shaking her head.
"Don't," she whispered, her tears slowly stopping to form in her eyes as she watched him walk with the lord onto the dock and then step into a low rowboat. "Oh, God, no."
"What's happening?!" Sarah's voice suddenly screamed from behind her and she twirled around as Sarah and Jacob came running across the lawn towards her.
"Sarah!" she cried. "You have to stop them! They're gonna KILL him!"
Sarah eyes grew wide as she reached the bars, Jacob not far behind.
"What?" she screamed. "Where?"
"Docks, over there, hurry!" Buffy yelled as Sarah got moving.
The mist was heavy on the lake now and it was hard to even SEE the wooden planks of the dock any more, Sarah disappeared into it for a few moments, then came out again, running back to the cage.
"They're gone," she gasped, breathing hard. "We need to get you out of there!" she added, starting to look for a door.
"There's no use, he put a spell on it. I've already tried to tip it, break it."
Sarah grabbed a hold of the bars.
"Incantenia nora uta!" she mumbled and the entire cage turned into wood.
She broke the two bars, that she was still gripping, right off and Buffy stared at her in surprise before she took a step forward and swiped with one arm at the now wooden bars, they crumbled as soon as she made contact and in a moment she was free.
"What can I say," Sarah said with a shrug at Buffy's questioning and appreciative look. "You don't study the books without learning a trick or two."
Her eyes widened as they suddenly locked on something going on behind Buffy's back and Buffy turned around towards the lake, staring at the sight of Spike slowly lifting until he hung in mid air, his eyes were closed and his body relaxed.
"What the.?" Buffy mumbled.
Spike opened his eyes and looked down on the five rowboats beneath him on the surface of the lake. The lord was in the one directly under him, his eight helpers in pairs had arranged their boats in a circle around his. They were bringing out their books again, he noticed.
He looked up and saw the raw stretch of daylight slowly approaching against the horizon.
He smiled a little to himself, remembering something he had heard a long time ago. He couldn't remember when, or where, or from whom, but somehow he thought he finally understood it.
"Everyday brings a new horizon," he mumbled to himself, "you just have to be sure to look for it."
Then the chanting began and he looked over the quilt of mist and his eyes locked on Buffy. He saw Sarah and Jacob as well. Then he gazed back at her. God, last night had been the best night of his entire existence, he wished he could have told her that.
"Oh, Fire, take this rose, to purify this ceremony, and come to us."
He drew a small breath as he looked back on the approaching sun.
"Oh, Fire, take this silk, to bring forth your life, and come to us."
The mist beneath him was swirling, slowly pulling away from the small circle of boats and gliding towards the edges of the lake.
"Oh, Fire, take this butterfly, to release the soul from its shackles, and come to us."
He felt a small tingle near his heart and swallowed. The thought of loosing his love for Buffy was. unbearable. She was such a part of him now.
"Oh, Fire, take this spider, to bind the soul to its body once more, and come to us."
He gazed at the slightly pinkish sky and smiled to himself.
Yes.
"Oh, Fire, take this snake, to bring death and prepare the Birth; and come to us."
He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, starting to prepare himself.
"Oh, Fire, take this water, to cleanse and bring forth the Birth; and come to us."
Buffy stared at the shape of him and suddenly felt a small tingle near her heart. She swallowed and drew a breath.
"Oh, Fire, take this wood, to once it's done bring healing, and come to us."
Something was happening to her, it was getting hard to breathe. She gasped and grabbed a hold of Sarah's arm, not hearing the worried questions her friends were asking.
"Oh, Fire, take this flower, to represent you, and come to us."
Oh, God, something was hurting her.
"Oh, Fire!" the lord yelled, standing up in the boat with his urn held above his head, looking up at Spike. "Take this body, to bring forth love, and come to me!"
Spike opened his eyes as the first rays of the sun graced the land before his eyes, stretching across the forest and caressing the mist before it hit his feet.
Then there was something else.
Buffy stared at him, the sunrise, it was shining on him and he was still there! She let go of Sarah's arm, taking a step forward. Suddenly a glow started around him. Her eyes grew wider as she fought to get air.
He's burning, she thought and then the glow switched into a numbing light.
"Oh, my God," Sarah breathed behind her.
Buffy took another step forward, staring at the incredible sight.
The lord's eyes not leaving the vampire, anticipating what was yet to come he smiled to himself. Soon he would have everything he had wanted, soon.
A ray of light shooting up into the sky broke his thoughts.
Now, wait a minute, that was supposed to go into me.his mind grumbled, confusion building.
He stared at Spike, at the ray shooting upwards, and then he slowly lowered the urn.
"WHAT the." he started, but then the ray changed course.
Buffy couldn't take her eyes from him, and then the ray hit her with full force. A scream escaped her as the light surrounded her and then she could feel his arms around her. She opened her eyes and looked into his.
They were in his bed; everything was white and bright and cut her eyes, everything but the blue in his. Then he bent down and kissed her and she put her arms around him, pulling him closer, feeling his naked body against her own.
Then they were dressed and fighting, violently, in the alley behind the Bronze, in the alley behind the police station, in the graveyard outside his crypt, inside his crypt, on his bed and then they were in each other's arms again, naked once more, their kissing passionate as they clung to each other.
Suddenly they were torn apart, the brightness all around them again, he was standing a few yards away from her and she felt a painful tugging beneath her skin. Then it felt like small nails ripped something away from inside of her and she screamed, almost falling down.
Spike stared at her and then a wave came crashing into him and he felt a tumbling riptide of emotions, seeing pictures of memories since she was little, then the killing of her first vampire, the confusion, the secrets, her father, Joyce, Dawn and a thousand other faces, the last one was his. It was a kaleidoscope of her life and he had to draw a breath to be able to take it, suddenly feeling the faint beating of his heart and hearing the blood start to rush through his veins.
Then the wave drew back, his pulse still thumping hard in his ears.
Buffy felt weak and scared and drained and like she couldn't think straight for the longest time, and then her head cleared and she was gasping for breath as the nails poked at her again, tears forming in her eyes.
She looked up, Spike was standing before her, the look of awe so evident on his face as he grabbed her hand and pulled it up to his chest. She felt his heartbeat, and her eyes grew as she looked up at him.
He felt his blood slowly stop flowing, and his heart slowly stop beating, and he shook his head a little before pulling her to him and kissing her again; her arms around his neck as she kissed him back, softly.
Then the brightness disappeared, they were out of each other's arms and the ray pulled back into him. Everything went quiet.
Sarah stared at the Slayer. Her eyes were still closed, she was standing in the same position as when the ray first hit her, but her lips were moving slowly to herself, tears were slowly slipping down her cheeks and she looked incredibly concentrated.
The sky had been covered with clouds as the spectacle took place and now, as Spike eased his eyes open, he stared in shock at the covered sun.
How could he still be there? He had watched the sunrise! More than that, he had felt it stroke his body.
The sense of Buffy was warm on his skin, the memories of her life still clear in his head and the way she had made his heart beat, REALLY beat, for just a minute was still a fresh feeling in his chest as he turned his head and looked at her.
Then there was a roar of fury from below as the lord stared up at the vampire.
"No!" he screamed. "You can't DO this to me!"
Spike looked down at him, feeling how he slowly started to glide downwards towards the water and realizing that whatever just happened hadn't been exactly what the lord had planned. He couldn't help but grin at how pissed the ass-hole looked.
"Guess again," he said as he landed standing on the bottom of the boat.
The lord glared at him before holding up the urn over his head again, then he threw it into the water and in a blink he was gone.
"What the bloody hell!" Spike exclaimed, looking around him, annoyed that he had missed the opportunity to beat the crap out of the bastard.
Sarah was still staring at Buffy who finally seemed to open her eyes. She swallowed carefully, frowning slightly and staring at the spot where Spike had been.
"He's gone," she mumbled and then she shifted her gaze to the now visible boats, the mist had lifted entirely. "Oh," she said slowly, seeing him standing in the boat. "There he is."
Sarah turned to her father, looking a little worried.
"Something's not right," she said and Buffy turned to her, her eyes hazy.
"What's not right?" she mumbled sleepily.
"This," the lord said as he appeared behind her, grabbing her from behind and lifting her up, fending off Sarah and Jacob with small flicks of one hand.
Buffy drew a breath in surprise, the numbness lifting from her head at his harsh touch and she kicked out her foot, hitting him hard in the stomach and making him drop her to the ground, him bending over with pain.
She was up faster than lightening, suddenly feeling incredibly aware of everything around her, all her senses on the edge.
"Wow," she said. "Whatever you did with that light mojo, it was a total re- booster."
Then she took a step forward and grabbed him by the neck, making him look at her.
"I wouldn't be one to promote violence," she said in a dangerous voice as she pulled him up to a straightened position. "But I think I'm actually gonna enjoy this."